Doctor never saw patient’s lab results

The results of a test that would have indicated the severe illness of a patient at St James’s Hospital in Dublin last year were available, but they were not picked up by her doctor, Dublin Coroner’s Court heard yesterday. >>>

HSE chief hits back at watchdog over criticism

HSE chief executive Brendan Drumm yesterday admitted the quality of information the executive supplies to TDs could be improved, but he rejected claims it was riddled with “excessive secrecy”. (Irish Independent) >>>

Public patients wait four years for referrals

Public patients referred by their GP for a hospital outpatient appointment with a consultant face waiting times of up to four-and-a-half years depending upon which part of the country they live in, the Sunday Tribune has learned.  And the true situation could be even worse as some of the figures (Sunday Tribune) >>>

Harney’s advisory group spends nine years on report

A high-powered group set up nine years ago to advise health minister Mary Harney on a ‘no-fault’ compensation scheme for children who suffer brain damage at birth has failed to compile a report after nine years. The proposed scheme, being examined, would mean that parents would not have to go (Sunday Tribune) >>> more

Concerns raised over junior doctor shortage

The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) has written to its national council members asking them for details of the junior doctor shortages around the country (Business Post) >>>

Cuts will ‘devastate’ disability services in west

BUDGETARY CUTS sought by the Health Service Executive West could have a “devastating” impact on services for people with disabilities, according to one of the major providers in the western region. (Irish Times) >>>

A very simple solution to an industry that is not delivering

VHI CHIEF executive Jimmy Tolan waded into the healthcare debate last week when he attempted to throw back the covers on the spiralling cost of the healthcare system (Irish Times) >>>

Transparency the only way to reduce errors

When I hear of medical errors being blamed on so-called system failures, it angers me greatly. It is time officials in our health service woke up to the fact that they create the systems and if the systems fail, then they have failed. (Irish Independent) >>>

Surgeons operated on wrong body parts in 19 cases of blunders

BLUNDERING surgeons have operated on the wrong body part — including the wrong eye, ovary and kidney — on 19 different occasions in the space of five years. >>>

High death rate among cocaine users

TWO hospital studies have revealed startling evidence of high death rates among cocaine users. (Irish Examiner) >>>  Read article

St Vincent’s CF unit stalls over builder

PLANS FOR a specialist cystic fibrosis treatment unit face the possibility of further delays after the hospital involved moved yesterday to recruit a new builder for the €20 million-plus project. (Irish Times) >>>

Breaking the silence of genital mutilation

Greater awareness among healthcare workers in Ireland is needed to help women who have undergone ‘female circumcision’ (Irish Times) >>>

Consultant appeals council’s penalty

A CONSULTANT gynaecologist suspended by the Medical Council for a year over treatment provided by her to seven patients, including a woman who later died, has brought a High Court appeal against the penalty. (Irish Times) >>>

Guidelines devised to help convey disability diagnosis

Alison Harnett, Informing Families project co-ordinator, explained that many parents felt the news of their child’s disability had been conveyed insensitively or in inappropriate environments which had caused them additional distress at the time of disclosure. (Irish Times)  >>>

Survival rates take a dive at the weekend

Commenting on the results, study author Dr Paul Aylin, from Imperial College London, said he believed lower weekend staffing levels and fewer senior medical staff in hospitals at weekends were the reasons for the findings. (Irish Times) >>>

Leafing through the past with a few old ‘friends’

Maurice Nelligan: I take down Textbook of British Surgery (1957), in four volumes. I open volume 2 at the “Surgery of the Central Nervous System” and come across the poem by physician-poet Oliver Wendell Holmes describing the brain (Irish Times) >>>

Overtime for junior doctors tops €12m

A JUNIOR doctor received more than €200,000 in overtime payments last year, around four times the average annual salary for such a position. (Irish Independent) >>>

Nurse took patient’s methadone for own use

A NURSE who took methadone from a patient for her own use has been censured for professional misconduct by An Bord Altranais. (Irish Examiner) >>>

Cork private hospital developers sign €8.5m equipment deal
THE developers of a new €90 million private hospital in Cork have signed an €8.5 million deal to equip it with the world’s most advanced diagnostic machines (Irish Examiner) >>>

Cork hospital’s A&E ‘struggling to stay open’ due to shortage of doctors

THE ACCIDENT and emergency department at Mercy University Hospital in Cork is “struggling to stay open”, according to Dr Chris Luke, a consultant in emergency medicine at the hospital.(Irish Times)  >>>

Half of all adults avoid ‘expensive trips’ to GP

Sarah O’Neill, occupational health advisor with Quinn Healthcare, said: “The most surprising finding is that so many older people (over 55) don’t get a health check unless they feel ill. (Irish Independent) >>>

Shortage of doctors to cause delays at Limerick

PATIENTS ATTENDING the emergency department of Limerick Regional Hospital can expect long delays from next week due to a shortage of doctors in the unit. (Irish Times) >>>

Finance a growing problem for cancer patients

Almost every cancer patient has incurred costs as a result of their illness, with nearly half spending hundreds of euro on private hospital consultants because they cannot get an appointment in time. (Irish Times) >>>

Prescription charge could be ‘penny wise and pound foolish’

THE TAOISEACH and the Minister for Health defended the 50 cent prescription charge for medical card holders in the face of Opposition criticism. (Irish Times) >>>

Hospital to get relaxation garden after €100k gift

After three years of negotiations, planning and delays, work on the quiet area facility at Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) has finally been scheduled for the coming weeks. (Irish Examiner) >>>

Over 40% feel healthcare not up to standard

A nationally representative sample of over 1,000 adults was surveyed for the research for the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa). Some 43 per cent said they felt the healthcare they had received was below expected standards. (Irish Times) >>>

Patients unhappy with care but suffer in silence

IT IS often claimed by Minister for Health Mary Harney and Health Service Executive chief Prof Brendan Drumm that the overwhelming majority of people who use the health service are happy with their treatment. (Irish Times) >>>

€4.7m settlement after boy brain-damaged at birth

A FAMILY’S decade-long battle for redress after an alleged medical error left their son severely brain-damaged ended yesterday when the High Court approved a €4.7m settlement. (Irish Independent) >>>

Chemists to bypass GPs with flu jab roll-out

Members of the public can bypass their GP and be vaccinated against flu in any Boots store from the autumn, with other services on the way, Boots announced yesterday. Other pharmacists are expected to follow suit. (Irish Independent) >>>